Folding clothes rack



Nov. 6, 1945. E. T. JOHN FOLDING CLOTHES RACK Filed June 4. 1943 'gwn/WMEDWARD L JOHN Patented Nov. 6, 1945 FOLDING CLOTHES RACK Edward T. John,Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to The J. R. ClarkrCompany, Minneapolis,Minn.,

a corporation Application June 4, 1943, Serial No. 489,710

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a folding clothes rack, and more particularly tosuch a clothes rack as may be packaged at the factory in a knockeddowncondition with the side frame members completely assembled but the rungsor hanging bars disassembled, yet of such a nature that the purchasermay simply and accurately effect assembly from thel comparativelycompact and small package Vin which the disassembled parts are marketed.

AFolding clothes racks are of great utility and advantage in homes,particularly those in .which there are small children and alsoinconnection with womens stockings and underwear where the laundering ofsuch things isl done in the home and the clothes rack gives relativelylarge hanging facilities. One of the difficulties in the manufacture andmarketing of such folding clothes racks has been the large amount ofspace occupied by the complete clothes rack in packaging and shippingand the expense of large packages for holding the clothes rack while itis being shipped and delivered. When the rungs or hanging bars areremoved the side frames can be folded into 'compact structures which,when placed'side by side, and with the rungs extending parallel, can beassembled in a small compact package which is itself inexpensive ascompared tothe larger packages in which the fully assembled foldingclothes racks have been' shipped, and which saves very greatly in thecost of shipping and also practically completely eliminates breakage,which is a source of considerable loss where folding clothes racks areshipped when fully assembled.

It is a principal object of my invention, therefore, to provide foldingclothes rack side frame members fully assembled and adapted to be closedand opened as in use in a clothes rack, to form in said side memberssockets adapted to receive cylindrical portions of the ends of rodswhich may be introduced in said sockets with a reasonable degree offorce, and to provide means in the sockets such that when the rung endis t'urned'therein Va portion of the wood in the socket will be deformedthereby to lock the rung or hanging bar permanently to the side framepieces.r This' assembling can be effected very easily by an Aagent ofthe seller or a householder at the latters home. And when the assemblyhas been completed the resulting product will be a permanently assembledfolding clothes rack adapted to be used in the home for the purposesintended.

It is a further object of my invention to providethe socket with an'inner ferrule of material, suchv as spring steel, which may yieldslight- 1y to permit the fashioned end of a rung or hanging bar to beinserted inside the same, where it will be rmly gripped by the springferrule in the socket. l

It is a further object of my invention to form on the inside of theferrule above defined an inward projection such that when the fashionedend of the rung or clothes bar is forced into the same it Will produce aslight deformation of the Wood of the fashioned rung end in the way of alongitudinal groove. Then by turning the rung or hanging bar the'projection may be caused to form the arc of a circumferential groovewhich will seat the projection in the body of the wood of thefashionedrung end, thus locking it per-v manently in the socket. Whenthis has been done for each of the rungs at each of the side frames, thefolding clothes rack will be fully assembled with all parts permanentlysecured toe gether tting it for use in the home.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will more particularlybe given in connection with the appended specification and the novelfeatures of the invention which secure the advantageous results of itspractice are particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Fig, 1 illustrates in perspective a folding clothes rack fully assembledand ready for use, embodying my invention.

Fig. Z is a plan view of the package containing the folded side framemembers and the rungs or hanging bars with some parts broken away toshow the manner in which the side members fold one upon the other.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the aforesaid package.

Fig. 4 is ya side view on an enlarged scale of one of the rungs orhanging bars.

Fig. 5 is a part perspective view of one of the spring metal ferruleslining the sockets for re ceiving a fashioned end of a rung or hangingbar.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on line 1--1 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged part perspective view of a portion of one of therungs or hanging bars, showing the manner in which the same is scoredlongitudinally and circumferentially in assembling within the aforesaidsocket.

As clearly indicated the fully completed folding clothes rack comprisesside frames I0 and I I. Each of these frames comprises main side getherat the point 21. The bars 25 and 26 have pivotally connected therewithat 28 and 29 a pair of short bars 30 and 3| which are pivotallyV fconnected at their upper ends as at 32. At each of the above-notedpoints of pivotal 'connection I6, I1, 20, 2l, 22, 23, 24, 21, 28, 29,and 32, when the clothes rack is permanently assembled, as shown in Fig.1, there will be mounted in sockets having a spring metal liner 33, aseries of `rungs 34. Other rungs 3-5 in all respects identical withrungs 34 will be assembled in the side bars I2 and I3. This arrangementis such that the side frame members may fold upon themselves asindicated at 36 in Fig. 2. The rungs 34 or 35 are cylindrical, orcircular in cross-section, and of any desired length. Each end as at 39and 40 of Fig. 4, is fashioned to provide a reduced cylindrical portionextending from shoulders 4I and 42 formed on the ends of the rungs 34and 40.

The ferrule 33, Fig. 5, is split as indicated at 43, and is providedwith a flange 44 adapted to engage the outside of any frame bar, asindicated at 46 in Fig. 6. The opening 41, Fig. 5, is contracted whenthe ferrule 33 is inserted in a socket opening as at 48 in Fig. 6, andsuch contraction will substantially close the gap 43 in the side of theferrule. When in position, as in Fig. '7, the ferrule 33 h'as an insidediameter slightly less than the diameter of the reduced cylindrical endportions 39 and 4U of the rungs or hanging bars 34. There is alsoprovided a projection 50 formed on the ferrule body 33 opposite thesplit 43 and extending inwardly into the circular space 41 Within theferrule which' isto receive the reduced end portions 39 or 40 of therungs 34.

The ferrules passing through the several joints I1, 20, 2I and the like,between frame bars, are made long enough to extend through th'e two barmembers and form the pivotal connection therewith. f

This is the condition of the parts when the folding rack is completed atthe factory, packaged and shipped, and is, of course, the condition ofthe parts when received by the householder. In order to 4 complete therack the purchaser or householder must assemble the rungs or hangingbars 34 and 35 at his home after the packaged parts have been deliveredthere. In doing this he will ordinarily introduce the reduced portion atone end of the rungs 34 or 35,say the reduced portions 39, into thevarious sockets of one of the bars. This is done by forcing said reducedportion into the socket formed by the interior of th'e ferrule 33,thereby forcing the projection 50 to slightly indent or deform alongitudinal path along the side of' the projection 39 presentedthereto. The householder will th'en seat the other reduced end portion40 of the rungs or hanging bars 34 in the other set of ferrules, in eachcase causing a longitudinal deforming along said reduced end -portion tobring the-shoulders 42 against the bars, as the shoulders 4I havealready been brought against its bar.

After the rungs or hanging bars have been so assembled, the householderwill turn each bar a short distance, from a quarter to half arevolution. This will cause the projection 50 to deform the wood of thereduced end portions 39 and 40 over a, circumferential path, asindicated at 5I. Fi'g, 8, and will leave the projection in eect seatedin the body of the end portions 39 and 4II.

In this position the bars of the side frames will pivot on the outsidesurfaces of the ferrules 33, passing through the two sets of bars, whilethe rungs 34 will remain immovably set at their ends in saidferrules,.enabling the clothes rack to be folded togetherand extended asthe householder may desire.

'I'he advantages of my invention are clearly evident from the foregoingdescription. A primary advantage resides in the fact th'at a quitecomplex folding clothes rack which, if in fully assembled condition"would require a great deal of shipping' space and cost of packaging andconsequent cost of shipping, with very considerable loss frombreakage-,may be packed in a small and compact form for storage inretail establishments and delivery to purchasers. This is a verysubstantial and expense-saving advantage which has met with' largepublic approval, for it greatly reduces the cost of the clothes rack tothe ultimate purchaser, and it has been found that purchasers do not atall object to making the assembly of the clothes-rack themselves in viewof this saving of expense.

A furth'er great advantage of my invention resides in the fact'that themeans of assembling and in effect locking the rungs or hanging bars uponthe side 'frame' supports is accomplished with a simple light, buteffective, ferrule stamping, and with no complementary metallic formedmember on the ends of the rungs. The locking togeth'er of the rungs andthe supporting bars is effected merely by'forcing the reduced ends ofthe bars into the socket formed by the interior of the ferrule andsubsequent turning of the rungs which in that manner provides thecomplementary locking arrangement-` This locking arrangement hasprovedvery certain and effective. A furtherl marked advantage is that,since each projection cuts its own grooves in the rungs, there is nodiflculty in securing an accurate tight flt between these pieces, inspite of slight manufacturing irregularities. This is of primeimportance, since the successful assembly and long continued service ofthe rack depend to a great extent on the accuracy of this lit.

I claim:

A clothes rack comprising a multiplicity of side frame bars on each sideof th'e clothes rack, holes through said bars, sockets set in said holesformed of sheet metal cylinders Asplit along one side, an inwardprojection on each said sheet metal socket member, a multiplicity ofwood rungs, each having reduced end portions of greater diameter thanthe normal inner diameter 0f the sockets forced into and turned in saidsockets th'ereby forming right-angled` grooves in said endk portions,lwhereby the frame bars are pivotally connected together and the rungsare locked upon the side frame members.

' i l EDWARD T. JOHN.

